Good News! Kate Gosselin, reality TV has-been is now employed! And she’s “cutting back” on her expenses. I wonder if she’ll <gasp> use boxed hair dye to save money?!

The former star of Kate Plus 8 just announced she will begin a partnership with couponcabin.com, where she will write blogs about couponing to help pay the bills. “No matter how much money you have, it’s just smart to use coupons,” she tells E! about her new guest blogging gig. “It’s like free money in your pocket.” Kate’s first blog will debut Nov 22 – just in time for the holidays, she reminds us.

Apparently, Kate is an excellent saver (riiight) and has been couponing since “C-List celebrity” went to her head. “One week, I remember saving more than half my grocery bill that week with coupons,” she said. “I was beyond thrilled.” Kate’s blogs will reportedly include tips on how to “stretch a budget for a large family, holiday shopping tips, gift ideas and more,” along with sharing her “top coupons.” Oh, how the money have fallen.

In other Kate news, the 36-year-old single mother is cutting back on her personal expenses and investing much of her new-found free time into developing a budget. Good! So did she sell that $55,000 sports car? “I track my expenses and budget more carefully, which means I have to spend time on it,” she tells Life & Style, trying to earn brownie points with the public so she can land another TV gig “Finding the time is, of course, hard when you’ve got a large family. I’m doing my best to stay on top of it, though.”

Kate claims she takes budgeting very seriously as a result of losing the bulk of her income. “[Now] when I need to make a purchase, I always comparison shop to make sure I get the best prices,” she insists. “I’m constantly planning ahead. I plan ahead with grocery lists, daily purchases, extra expenses, you name it.”

Kate’s reasoning behind her money-saving efforts? Apparently, Kate’s change in income requires her to live on a much stricter budget! After a quick perusal of her recent earnings I find it hard to believe that she is that hard up for cash! Here’s the breakdown:

For the final year of her TLC reality show, Kate was earning a reported $250,000 per episode! It adds up to about $5.25 million in just two 21-episode seasons! That doesn’t count the income her children likely received for participating in the show!

Last year, Kate was a contestant onDancing With The Stars for which her wooden and completely emotionless performances reportedly earned her an unheard of $100k per week! It was rumored that she earned more than any other contestant.

Kate is the “author” of four books – two of which landed on the New York Times bestseller list. Who bought those!?

Kate commands $25,000 to $40,000 for each speaking engagement or appearance she commits to. WHAT?

Another thing to remember, Kate will continue to receive royalties from reruns of her shows as well as residuals from sales of books and other endorsements.

So where exactly did all that money go? Surely her hair care doesn’t cost that much! Allegedly Kate shells out nearly $500,000 per year to employ a staff, which includes two housekeepers, two nannies, a personal assistant and one infamous bodyguard, but I have a feeling that TLC likely footed the bill for many of those expenditures. No word if any of those employees have been laid off since her show was canceled!

Also, Kate sends all eight of her children to private school, which costs the family an estimated $500,000 per year. Wouldn’t her retired famewhore ex-husband Jon Gosselin be contributing to those costs? Additionally, Kate lives in a million-dollar home she claims is essential to maintaining her children’s lifestyle.

Kate shares that despite the new financial strain she is still able to put money aside. “I’ve also been managing to save for my family’s future.” Good for Kate, I am glad she is working hard to provide for her children.

Following up on last week’s shocking story about the recent arrest of former Kate Plus 8 editor William Blankinship on child pornography charges, Kate has yet to comment on the ghastly situation. Hopefully she is working together with Jon to best protect her family as a result of this serious issue.

[Photo credit: INFPhotos.com]

THOUGHTS ON KATE’S NEW MONEY SAVING EFFORTS? IS IT LEGITIMATE OR ANOTHER PLOY FOR MEDIA ATTENTION? DO YOU BELIEVE KATE IS REALLY STRUGGLING FOR MONEY BASED ON HER PAST EARNINGS?